Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip

by Cate on February 3, 2010

Thanks so much for voting on yesterday’s post and your comments. I think, for me, that it’s all case-by-case… depending on the person, the situation, the motivation behind the decision … that it’s all about them, you know? That it can’t be decided by age (so my answer would probably be you’re never too old) because it’s a personal decision. I loved hearing what you guys all thought, and it was a nice break from food. And speaking of food, how about some Buffalo Chicken Dip?

When it comes to buffalo wings, I’ve never been a big fan. For two reasons. First, in my pre-kids days, I seriously had an iron stomach and could eat anything. After kids, well, not so much, so I tend to be a little more cautious with spicy things. And the wing thing? Well, buffalo flavored or not, it always seems like an awful lot of work for little reward, you know? When The Ex got them, I stuck to the celery and bleu cheese dip. He didn’t like either, so in that respect, we were a perfect match.

Now when it comes to dip, that’s a different story. And when it comes to Buffalo Chicken Dip, there are a million and one recipes for it, and I’ve made a few. Mostly for the guys, not so much for me. Can’t stand the heat. But I made it last night, and this recipe suggested serving it with Frito Scoops as dippers. Hello, salt. I need no introduction. I am a total saltaholic. I don’t know if it was the Fritos or this particular dip recipe or the combination of both, but I was all over this one last night. Of course, that required a little more time on the elliptical tonight at the gym, but all in the name of good food. And it wasn’t just me. The Neighbor Wife, another one who doesn’t clamor for buffalo-flavored stuff, loved it as well.

The only change I made to the recipe, inadvertently at the time, was that I used real bleu cheese crumbles instead of the bleu cheese dressing the recipe called for. It was accidental at the time, since I had actually bought the dressing, but I would totally make the same switch the next time I make it. This Sunday. We’re celebrating Madeline‘s birthday (ack!!) and the Super Bowl, and this is a perfect party food. Quick, easy, full-on flavor and worth every bite.

Project 365
February 3, 2010, Photo #34

With Valentine’s Day just over a week away, I was more than tickled when I spied this heart-shaped chicken nugget this afternoon. And no, they weren’t made that way. I collect heart-shaped rocks and shells, but I promise I didn’t save this one. I did, however, make Nick grab the camera so I could take the shot before it got eaten. Love is in the air.

David Garrard’s Buffalo Chicken DipRecipe courtesy of Rachael Ray’s show

Preheat oven to 300°F. Cover the bottom of an 8×8″ dish or pie plate with cream cheese. In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, wing sauce and butter, and pour over the cream cheese-filled dish or pie plate. Top with just enough blue cheese dressing and mozzarella cheese to cover (adding too much cheese will cause a thick skin to form that will make eating the dip difficult once the cheese cools). Heat the dip in the oven for 20 minutes. Serve with Scoops (Tortillas or Fritos) alongside for dipping.

My gut reaction to buffalo chicken dip is yuck. Which doesn’t make any sense since I love buffalo chicken as a general rule. It’s actually a personal obsession of mine. I think it’s because I dont’ love blue cheese dressing, although I LOVE blue cheese,. Now that you’ve said you can swap the two in this – I will definitely need to try it.